Mold for casting copper



Nov. 3, 1931. w. F. EPPENSTEINER 1,830,227

MOLD FOR CASTING COPPER Filed Nov. 30. 1929 By Attorneys, 7 4 aam wiw Patented Nov. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE WILLIAIF. EPPENSTEINEB, F RAHWAY,.NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB '10 UNITED STATES METALS BEFINHWG COMPANY, OF CABTEBET, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY mom) son c'asrme corrnn Application filed November 80, 1929. Serial No. 410,707.

The present invention relates to horizontal molds for the casting of copper, particularly blister copper, as it comes from the converter. It is customary to cast blister cop- @per by pouring into. shallow molds, which molds are made of copper. The cast cakes or slabs, known as blister cakes, are usually about three inches deep, and weight from 200 to300 pounds. Difliculty has been experienced in removing such cakes from the mold. To facilitate this removal the mold cavity is made with inclined sides, so that by inverting the mold the cast cakeshould freely drop out; but occasionally, owing tov pitting or partial fusing of the mold, the

It is desirable, for economic reasons, to increase the size and weight of the blister cakes. but with the molds heretofore used the necessary increase-inthe. size and weight of the molds makes this impractical.

The present invention aims to improve such horizontal molds for casting blister cakes or Y the like so as to facilitate the removal of the cast'cakes and render theturning over of the mold to dump out the cakes unnecessary. The invention enables the blister cakes or slabs to-be cast much "larger than heretofore, so that the cakes weigh from ttventy to thirty times as much as those heretofore cast. The invention aims to make the initial separation of the cast cake or slab from the mold automatic. n a p The invention provides a horizontal mold which differs from those heretofore used in having within its bottom a lifter with sloping or tapered marginal sides, so that as the lifter on being heated by the molten metal, expands more rapidly than the mass of the 0 mold, it is caused to wedge itself upward, and

thereby as the cast copper hardens, to lift the latter initially free from the mold cavity. This lifting greatly facilitates the subsiaqluent mechanical lifting of the cast cake or s a 1 Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is :1 Ian of the mold with its lifter removed.

ig.'2 is atransverse section of the mold with the cast cake in place, the view indicating the condition immediately after castin and before the initial lifting has become e fective.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the lifter mechanically elevated and the cake carried far enough out of the mold to enable it to be grasped by the grappling hooks of the crane for carrying it away.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation,

the section being taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

- Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the lifter removed.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cast cake or slab.

A is the mold, preferably of copper. It has a casting cavity A with sloping sides as heretofore, so that the cake is cast as usual with tapered edges. Beneath this cavity is another cavity B, also with sloping sides, and in this latter cavity fits the lifter G which has a shank or stem D which projects down through a bottom opening E in the mold so that it may be pushed up from beneath by a lever F or any other suitable mechanicalmeans. The cavity B and lifter C are shown as circular, but any other convenient shape may be used. The marginal portion of the lifter and the corresponding inclined wall of the cavity have such slope that the expansion of the lifter due to the heat transmitted to it from the cast copper directly after pouring, causes the lifter, by reason of its lateral expansion, to slide upwardly against the sloping marginal wall of the cavity. This upward movement is just sufficiently retarded to give the cast copper which is poured into the comparatively cold mold, time to harden and become coherent, so that the lifting of the lifter bodily separates the cast cake from the mold. This separation is very slight, not exceeding about one-eighth inch, but it is suflicient to free the tapered edge of the cast cake from the sloping sides of the mold, so as to enableit subsequently to be lifted without any adhesion to the mold. The inclined coacting faces of the mold and lifter are'at an angle of approximately 45 degrees or less to the horizontal, as shown.

The operation is facilitated by making the lifter C of a different metal from the mold which diminishes friction between their sloping surfaces. The mold being of copper, it is preferable to make the lifter of iron or steel. The lifter, because of its much smaller mass, expands more rapidly than the mold, with o the resultant forcing up of the lifter by its wedging action against sloping surface of the recess B.

' The mold A is supported in any suitable manner and at any convenient height. It is shown as held.in a frame G having legs G which may rest on the floor. The lever F is shown as pivoted to this frame at f, and having at its free end a loop 9 which may be engaged by the hook I). of a hoist for lifting the free end of the lever and thereby elevatin in ig. 3. For holding these parts thus lifted it is desirable to provide a pivoted foot or prop k which may drop into vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, after which the hook it may be disconnected to use the crane elsewhere, and the mold elements left as'shown in Fig. 3 until it is convenient to carry away the cast cake. These details, however, may be greatly varied without departing-from the invention.

' gcthe lifter C to lift out the cake, as shown 1,sso,2 27

ascend by relative movement of such inclines, and thereby slightly separate'the cast cake from the mold cavity, so as to free the tapered edges of the cake from the inclined sides of the casting cavity.

2. A mold according to claim ,1, the lifter having a projection downward beneath the mold, and a lever hung beneath the mold and adapted to be moved upwardly to lift the lifter, whereby to elevate the slightly separated cast cake higher to enable'it to be grappled to lift it out of the mold.

3. A mold according to claim 1, the lifter having a projection downward beneath the mold,'a lever hung beneath the mold and adapted to be moved upwardly to lift the lifter, whereby to elevate the slightly separated cast cake higher to enable it to be grappled to lift it out-of the mold, and a prop for holding upsaid jlever after having elevated the lifter, whereby the operating means for moving up the lever may be removed while the elevated cake is cooling.

4. A mold according to claim 1, the lifter being of different co-efiicient of expansion than the mold.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

- WILLIAM F. EPPENSTEINER.

The present invention enables the cakes to be cast. very much larger than heretofore,

40 their weight being increased from 200 to 300 pounds to 5000 or6000 pounds. .This requires a much larger and heavier mold weighing in the neighborhood of four or five cast, such cavity having inclined sides to cast marginal the cake with tapered edges, and the mold having below the casting cavity another cav ty of matriallysmaller area, and a lifter fitting the latter. cavity-.the lifter having a materially smaller mass thanthe mold, the

portion ofthe lifter and the corresponding wall of the lifter cavity so inclined that the expansion of the lifter upon the pouring of the metal causes the lifter to 

